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Taipei city government halts bikini swimwear promotion

By Central News Agency

2013/07/05 22:17

Taipei, July 5 (CNA) Taipei city's government said Friday that it has decided to halt its "bikini night" event at the city's municipal swimming pool amid concerns by rights groups that it would materialize the female body. The city government made the announcement after a promotional event it launched Tuesday at one of its swimming pools drew criticism from women groups. Taiwan Women's Link (TWL), Taipei Association for the Promotion of Women's Rights and other activists Friday voiced their anger at the city government, which offered free admission to female customers entering its pool venue wearing a bikini. "The bikini night event every Wednesday in the summer period looks free for women, but has materialized females," the groups said in a statement. "Instead of encouraging women wearing three-piece swimming suits, why don't they offer discounts to families who take their children to the pool," said Huang Sue-ying, the chairwoman of TWL. Such promotional events were unfriendly to the elderly and women who do not like to show off their figure in public, Huang said. The marketing strategy lacks imagination and was built to satisfy people's desire to peep at women's bodies, the group said. Lan Shu-fan, an official from the city government's public works department said such events were aimed at providing special offers to female customers, but were not meant to materialize them. However, after taking into consideration the public's concerns, the government will halt the events at the swimming pools, Lan said. (By Wen Kuei-hisang, Huang Li-yun and Maia Huang)